Sunday, January 20, 2008

MOON watchers!

We have become serious moon watchers lately.

Not only because our Papa loves to look at the moon (we have so much fun looking through his telescopes and going to the observatory), but also because Emily is learning about it in school. She is to track what the moon looks like each night for the month of January.We have all been intrigued by the cycles of the moon. We wanted to share some facts with you, and give you some great links to check out the moon.

The Moon's Changing Phase Night Sky: Tony Flanders

Each month as the Moon circles the Earth, we see it go through its cycle of phases. Starting from “new Moon,” when it is nearly in our line of sight to the Sun, the Moon grows, or waxes, to a crescent, then to first quarter (half lit), gibbous (somewhat football-shaped), and full. Then the Moon wanes back through gibbous, last-quarter, and crescent phases to new again. When waxing, the Moon is visible mostly in the evening. When waning, it’s best seen in the early morning hours.

Did you know the U.S. Naval Observatory provides a picture each day of what the moon looks like? Check it out here. To read more about the moon phases click here. There is so much more to learn about the moon than just its phases. Maybe we will share more later!

We have been looking at the moon lately too. We have noticing that you can see it so well during the day right now, it's so interesting. We checked out the website, it is really cool. Thanks for sharing :)